单选题 In this section, you will hear five short news items. After each item, which will be read only once, there will be a fifteen-second pause. During the pause, read the question and the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
单选题 Which of the following is NOT mentioned as one of the penalties?
  • A. A fine.
  • B. Expulsion.
  • C. A jail term.
  • D. Death sentence.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[听力原文] A Pakistani lawyer said the resumption of the trial of eight foreign aid workers accused of preaching Christianity in Afghanistan has been put off until Sunday. He had met earlier Saturday with the aid workers, 2 Americans, 2 Australians, and 4 Germans. They insist they were in Afghanistan to help the poor, not to convert them. The penalty for these captured aid workers could range from expulsion to a jail term and death sentence. 新闻最后一句讲到The penalty for these captured aid workers could range from expulsion to a jail term, and death sentence．(被抓的八名外援工人们面临的刑罚可能是驱逐出境、入狱或死刑)。所以答案为选项A。
单选题 What accusation would the Argentine officers face?
  • A. Violation of human rights.
  • B. Involvement in illegal actions.
  • C. Planning anti-government activities.
  • D. Torture or murder.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[听力原文] Around 44 military officers in Argentina have been arrested for possible extradition to Spain on human rights charges. The arrest came as the Argentine government struck down the decree prohibiting such extradition, saying all Argentines should be equal before the law. Those detained include a former navy captain and several other ex-officers suspected of torture or murder during the last period of military rule in Argentina which ended in 1983. Gigantic waves of flame that covered entire neighborhoods and filled the skies over southern California with ash have killed at least 13 people. 根据新闻第一句...for possible extradition to Spain on human fights charges，可知这些Argentine officers所面对的指控是侵犯人权(violation of human rights)。
单选题 Which of the following had NOT been affected by the wildfires?
  • A. Houses.
  • B. Land.
  • C. Skies.
  • D. Mexican border.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[听力原文] At least 6 super wild fires were still burning on Monday morning, all the way from the Mexican border to the suburbs of Los Angeles. They were reported to have destroyed 800 homes and consumed about 1209000 hectares of land. Authorities said they were seeking two men in connection with the fires, which they believed were started deliberately. 本则新闻讲的是加利福尼亚州南部的一场大火。文中并没有讲到大火对天空的危害，只是在首句描述了火焰布满了天空而已。所以答案为选项C。
单选题 What does the news item mainly report?
  • A. China will send three people into space in a week.
  • B. Three Chinese astronauts will spend a week in space.
  • C. The Shenzhou VI will be launched next year.
  • D. The Shenzhou VI will be launched next 2 years.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[听力原文] China has set its sights on putting 3 people into space for a week, the China News Service said on Tuesday. The news agency reported an official as saying that the preparations were underway for the next Shenzhou launch. The Shenzhou 6 is expected to blast off within the next 2 years. Shenzhou 5 carried a Chinese astronaut aloft. He circled the earth 14 times during his 21-hour trip, October 15 to 16, 2003, making China the third country to put a man into space. 本则新闻主要讲的是中国准备发射神州六号，届时将有三名宇航员被送入太空一周。所以答案为选项B。
单选题 How many people can the boat carry?
  • A. One.
  • B. Ten.
  • C. Thirty.
  • D. Eighty-six.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[听力原文] Before he set off in November, there were fears that Francis Joyon would be unable to control his huge boat, named IDEC. With its three hulls slicing through the water and a massive rotating mast that reached 30 metres into the sky, the boat was built in 1986 for a crew of ten. It was feared that such a boat would be too powerful for one man in the rough seas of the Southern Ocean. 录音中提到the boat was built in 1986 for a crew of ten．所以C选项正确。